PT-1 "The Negative Response"

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 3/3/2018 12:39 PM

My Worship Time                                                           Focus:  PT-1 “The Negative Response”

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                 Reference:  Acts 13:45-47

            Message of the verses:  “45  But when the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy and began contradicting the things spoken by Paul, and were blaspheming. 46 Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly and said, "It was necessary that the word of God be spoken to you first; since you repudiate it and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, behold, we are turning to the Gentiles. 47 “For so the Lord has commanded us, ’I HAVE PLACED YOU AS A LIGHT FOR THE GENTILES, THAT YOU MAY BRING SALVATION TO THE END OF THE EARTH.’"”

            We are into the second main point as we begin this SD, and that is entitled “The Subsequent Response.”  “The negative Response” is the first sub-point from this second main point that we have been looking at which covers verses 13:42-52.  John MacArthur writes the following as he begins this second main point:  “After the initial positive response to Paul’s sermon, the subsequent reaction split along racial lines.  The response of the Jewish people was negative; that of the Gentiles positive.”

            I think as we look at this section it reminds me of exactly what happened when Jesus Christ came to planet earth.  Jesus, the God/Man taught the truth in Israel, and yet the Pharisees and Sadducees, along with the Scribes, and Lawyers were jealous and just like in the case of Paul and Barnabas contradicted what the God of heaven was telling them.  There could be one thing different from what happened to Christ and that was that the Gentiles were being saved, and the Jews were jealous of what was happening to the Gentiles. 

            We know that the Jews hated the Gentiles and so if salvation and the blessing of salvation was coming to the Gentiles this certainly would anger them.  What the Jews did was first of all contradict what Paul and Barnabas were preaching, and next the attacked them.  The same thing is going on in our country at this time.  People cannot just sit down and talk about their political differences they have to attack the people who are giving out the truth.  I saw this demonstrated on a TV news program last night as a man who is a believer was interested getting good music into the schools, and because of his stance on Biblical marriage he was attacked, and this had nothing to do with the position he was offered to help get good music into the schools.

            Verse 45 tells us that what the Jews were doing was blaspheming, and that shows how wrong they were.  Not only was it wrong but they were speaking evil of the only One who could save them and that is very sad.

            Paul and Barnabas were certainly not intimated as they spoke out boldly in reply to what the Jews were saying.  Paul and Barnabas knew that the Lord wanted them to do what they were doing as seen at the beginning of this chapter and so as the situation grew more tense their courage grew and they stood their ground as they were serving the Lord.  John MacArthur states that now true believer could ever be guilty of such blasphemy and then suggest to look at 1 Cor. 12:3 “Therefore I make known to you that no one speaking by the Spirit of God says, "Jesus is accursed"; and no one can say, "Jesus is Lord," except by the Holy Spirit.”  Unfortunately this was what the Jews were doing and for that matter many are still doing this today. 

            Paul’s ministry to the Gentiles in different cities that he traveled to had a pattern and that pattern was that if there was a Synagogue in the city he would go there first, “to the Jew’s first and then to the Gentiles.”  In Matthew 15:21-28 we read:  “21 Jesus went away from there, and withdrew into the district of Tyre and Sidon. 22 And a Canaanite woman from that region came out and began to cry out, saying, "Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David; my daughter is cruelly demon-possessed." 23 But He did not answer her a word. And His disciples came and implored Him, saying, "Send her away, because she keeps shouting at us." 24 But He answered and said, "I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel." 25 But she came and began to bow down before Him, saying, "Lord, help me!" 26 And He answered and said, "It is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs." 27 But she said, "Yes, Lord; but even the dogs feed on the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table." 28 Then Jesus said to her, "O woman, your faith is great; it shall be done for you as you wish." And her daughter was healed at once.”  Even though this woman was a Gentile she had great faith in knowing that Jesus could heal her daughter.

            We will pick up looking at these verses in our next SD.

Answer to yesterday’s Bible question:  “Jesus” (Mark 14:18).

Today’s Bible question:  “Where did the second angel in Revelation 16:3 pour out his vial?”

Answer in our next SD.

3/3/2018 1:43 PM